Joseph behm



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(No Model.) J BEHM AMA LGAMATR. No. 405,837. Patented June 18, 1889.

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(No Model.) 7 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 J. BEHM. AMALGAMATOR.

No. 405,337. Patented June 18, 1889.

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' UNITED STATES ATENT OF ICE.

JOSEPH BEI-IM, OF \VEST POINT, CALIFORNIA.

AMALQAMATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 405,337, dated June 18, 1889.

Application filed February 1, 1889. Serial No. 298,379. (No model.)

T0 whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrn BEHM, of VVest' Point, Oalaveras county, State of California, have invented an Improvement in Amalgamators; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to an apparatus for more perfectly amalgamating and saving gold and silver, together with mercury or other precious or valuable metal which is capable of amalgamation.

It consists of a tub or tank having the interior lined with silver or copper plates, a means for introducing the pulp and conveying it into said tank, and a series of vertically reciprocating inverted funnel shaped plungers, of silvered or copper plates, together with certain details of construction, which will be more fully explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a section taken longitudinally through the tank, the feed apparatus, and the plungers. Fig. 2 is atransverse section taken through 0c 00 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan of plate V.

This invention is designed to thoroughly agitate pulp which has already been reduced to a sufficient degree of fineness, to prevent it from settling to the bottom of the tank, and to bring all parts of it intimately and repeatedly into contact with the amalgamated surfaces, whereby the greatest amount of the valuable metal may be saved. In order to do this, I employ a tank A, which, with my present construction, is made of considerable length, comparatively narrow width, and of sufficient depth to contain the pulp and properly agitate it. The sides of this tank are surrounded by copper or silvered plates B, upon which the gold or amalgam may be collected, and along one side is an opening or openings O, the bottom being at such a height as to retain the pulp in the tank to a sufficient depth. An inclined surface D, also covered with silvered or copper plates, extends outwardly from the openings, discharging into a trough E, into which the waste overflows, and by which it can be conveyed away to any desiredpoint for further treatment.

I have shown an inclined splashboard F,

which prevents the material from being thrown out of the tank too rapidly. The tank may be provided with a covering, as shown at G, for the same purpose. Through this cover holes are made, and the stems H pass up through it, and through suitable guide-timbers I, which are fixed above the tank, so that these stems move vertically through the guides. Upon the lower ends of these stems are fixed the inclined or funnel shaped dashers J. These may be constructed in various ways. In the present case I have shown a suitably-shaped hub fixed to the lower ends of the stems H, and the silvered or copper funnel-shaped dashers J are secured upon these hubs in a n inverted position, so that their mouths or largest portions open downwardly. The upper ends of the stems II are hinged or jointed, as shown at K, to connecting-rods L. These connecting-rods unite the stems H with the cranks M, which cranks are formed or fixed upon the driving-shaft N. By means of the pulley O, fixed upon one end of this shaft, power is applied to rotate it, and with it the cranks M, and, through the connecting-rods L, the stems II and the dashers .I are caused to reciprocate vertically, the dashers descending into the thin pulp or material in the tank and rising out of it alternately. The action of these dashers as they pass into the pulp is to confine a considerable quantity of air which is contained within the inverted bell formed by them, and when they rise they produce a certain amount of suction, which tends to lift the material from the bottom and prevent its settling and becoming packed. It is also dashed around with considerable force, and is constantly thrown against the amalgamated sides of the tank, as well as brought into intimate rubbing contact with each of the dashers, and by this means the light float gold, which is so difficult to save upon ordinary amalgamated plates, is brought forcibly into contact with the amalgamated surfaces, and with it any floured or finely-divided mercury, which is liable to be lost for the same reason. The pulp falls into the tank and the surplus escapes through the opening O and over the plates D, as above described, so that the work is continued.

In order to admit the pulp into the tank, I

have shown a vertical cylindrical casing Q, the lower end of which discharges at the bottom of a central pan or tub. R. In the present case I have shown a removable lining S, formed of or having a coppered or silvered plate within it, and having the dischargeopenings T made through it and the outer tub to allow the material to pass out of the tub into the tank A.

The screw P is fixed upon the shaft U, which extends down into the pan R and has a plate V fixed to its lower end. The plate is slotted or perforated, as shown in the plan view, Fig. 3, and also has stirring-pins WV projecting downward from it, so as to prevent any settling or packing of the material in the bottom of the pan R. Mercury is contained in the bottom of this pan, and the pulp when first delivered therein is subjected to this stirring and to the mercury within it.

The screwshaft U is driven by means of beveled gearing Z, one pinion of which is fixed upon a shaft N and the other upon the upper end of the shaft U.

Two passages a and b are made in the side of the vertical conveyer-tube Q, one of these being used exclusively in case the ore has been crushed wet and is sufficiently fluid, and both of them being used when dry-crushed ore is to be fed to the apparatus. WVhen the ore has been crushed wet, it is delivered in a sufficiently-fluid condition through the lower passage a, and is from this point taken by the revolving screw P and delivered into the bottom of the pan R, as previously described. If dry ore is to be fed to the apparatus, it is preferably brought in by means of the screwconveyer c, which stands at right angles with and above the conveyer-tube Q. The passage 19 leads from the conveyer 0 into the upper part of the conveyer Q and a short distance above the passage a, which opens into the latter. The screw of the conveyer c is driven by the beveled gearing d, one pinion of which is fixed to the horizontal shaft of the screw 0 and the other is fixed to the vertical shaft U, through which power is transmitted to drive the horizontal conveyer. In this case the dry material falling down into the conveyer-tube Q is carried downwardly by the screw P, and when it arrives at the point where the passage a opens into it, water is delivered through the passage a, and is thus gradually mixed with the dry material until it is sufficiently thin for the necessary operations. By thus delivering the dry powder separately from the water, I prevent any caking or packing, which would be liable to occur if the two were delivered together in the upper part of the conveyer.

The tank A may be made as long as may be found desirable or can be conveniently operated, and as many dashers J and corresponding operating-cranks M maybe made in the shaft. In order to make these cranks with the least possible expense, I have here shown the shaft N as cut into short sections and the cranks M are cast and bored out, so that the two adjacent ends of each crank are fitted upon the ends of one of the short sections, being keyed or secured by set-screws until the whole shaft is completed in sections. By thus casting and boring out the crank portion I make a much cheaper and more economical shaft, and the cranks may be readily set at any relative angles to each other which may be found best suited to the work or most convenient.

In some cases it may be found desirable to heat the pulp to a certain degree, and in order to do this I have shown pipes f extending through the tank just beneath and in contact with the plates B, and through these pipes hot water or, preferably, steam is caused to fiow until the temperature of the pulp is raised to any desired degree. The plates, being of copper and lying in contact with the steam-pipes, conduct the heat readily, so that the whole surface of the plates is heated.

The tendency of the pulp when discharged into the tank A is to settle to the bottom ;but the peculiar action of the numerous verticallyoperating dashers J is to raise it by suction, thus throwing it into a state of great agitation and forcing it intimately and continuously into contact with the amalgamated surfaces, until all the valuable portions have been saved. The finished pulp escapes through the passage 0 and over the inclined copper plates D, falling into the sluice E, by which it is conveyed away for concentration if it contains any valuable sulphurets.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- D 1. An amalgamator consisting of a containing-tank with amalgamated plates fixed upon the sides, in combination with the series of vertically-moving amalgamated dashers, substantially as described.

2. The containing-tank with amalgamated sides, the inverted conical dashers consisting of amalgamated plates, the vertical stems moving in guides, and the crank and crankshaft whereby the dashers are moved into and out of the pulp, substantially as and for the purpose herein described.

3. The hollow bell-shaped amalgamated dashers with their vertical stems and operat ing-cranks, a tank with amalgamated sides within which said dashers reciprocate, in combination with a central distributing-tub, the vertical screw conveyer discharging into the bottom thereof, the stirrers at the bottom of the conveyer-shaft, and discharge-pipes opening outwardly from the sides of the tub, substantially as described.

4. The amalgamating-tank with the vertically-reciprocating dashers, a central distributin g-tub with the discharge-pipes, a vertical screw conveyer, and the stirrers or agitators fixed to the bottom of the conveyer-shaft,.in

contact with the plates, substantially as delo scribed.

In Witness whereof Ihave hereunto set my hand.

JOSEPH BEHM.

WVitnesses:

S. H. NOURSE, H. 0. LEE. 

